The menopause experience is often challenging and difficult for many women. In general menopause seems to be a different experience to that of our foremothers and millions of women don’t have a positive response to the ‘one size fits all approach’ to HRT that is the standard medical offering.
The reason many women are struggling with a challenging menopause is because the generation of women who are now navigating the peri to post menopause experience are the first generation who were actively encouraged to ‘have it all’, not just told it was a possibility. From secondary school the pressure was on to have a brilliant career, then children, a house that looks like it belongs in ‘homes and gardens’, a body fit for a supermodel and a sparkling social life whilst also being able to prepare gourmet meals and keep their relationships buoyant and spicy.
All of this has happened at the same time as the food chain became more and more depleted, wheat was sprayed with pesticides that destroys our gut microbiome, eating fat became demonised and a high carb diet was promoted as healthy. And, if that wasn’t enough, we were bombarded with antibiotics and the contraceptive pill as a teenager in the 80’s or 90’s.
Many women are hitting peri menopause after decades of dealing with conditions such as IBS, migraines, PCOS, Endometriosis, fertility problems, fatigue disorders (ME, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and Post Viral Syndrome, weight issues, autoimmune disease, and cancers.
The result of this is that our body simply doesn’t have the resources to now go through this natural transition. Historically women needed help once they had stopped bleeding or were having irregular bleeds, but we are now finding women need help much earlier in peri menopause because they don’t have the tolerance to navigate even the slightest fluctuation in hormones due to the amount of pressure on their body.
Women who have experienced IBS for many years or who have been oestrogen dominant or who have been on the contraceptive pill for a long time are commonly struggling with HRT because our gut must process this hormone and it isn’t able to. In these instances, GPs are often struggling to support women because they don’t work with the gut microbiome and rebalance it first and the HRT, they are commonly prescribing because of the NICE guidelines is often ‘too much too soon’. This leaves women unsupported.
A challenging menopause needs a ‘whole health’ approach Women will need to ensure their Triangle of Hormonal Health is balanced. They will need support with diet, supplementation, and education around HRT. A challenging menopause needs more work than throwing HRT at it and it takes specially trained coaches to know how to work with it. Our coaches are trained in all aspects of a whole health approach and are waiting to support you on your journey.